Egyptian director Enas al Deghaidi took a swipe at the society as a whole for succumbing to the fundamentalists and radicals particularly their attitudes towards women. She described this surrender as encouraging for these people to demand more.
“I am not rebellious but I would like to say that the time of awareness began in Egypt in the sixties and seventies when the country witnessed a stage of social openness free of fundamentalism and formal pressure on women,” the fifty year old director told AFP.
The female director of many daring films in a conservative society added, “I do not consider myself extremist as compared to other members of our society but I believe that I do a proper job.”
She criticized those who surrender to the status quo expressing her disappointment as, according to her, she never imagined that Egypt would succumb to this affair. Deghaidi thinks that the Egyptian woman has been exhausted because she helps her husband in many aspects. Most Egyptian women work out of need and poverty but not because they want to work, added Deghaidi.
“Despite all that certain parties do not admit that the Egyptian woman has reached a unique professional level and so they accuse working women of corruption particularly the liberal women,” said Deghaidi adding that a corrupted woman cannot be liberal.
The director of the film Muthakkarat Murahiqa (Adolescent Memoirs) which has been screened over the past five days asserted the presence of “rebellious and revolutionary feminism” in her films which have so far reached 13. Her first film was Afwan Ayyouha al Kanoun (Sorry, Law) in 1985 costarring Naglaa Fathi, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and late Farid Shawki.
The film Emraah Wahidah La Takfi (One Woman is not Enough) costarring Yusra and Ahmed Zaki is one of Deghai’s favorites which she described as fully depicting the real eastern man.
Among her other prominent films is Dantilla through which she opposed to the idea of one man marrying two women. She said this film represented a very special case and was acclaimed by the audience despite the attacks it faced by many critics -- Albawaba.com
